Bato dela Rosa now under immigration lookout order

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Bato dela Rosa has been placed under the Bureau of Immigration’s lookout order, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday, May 15.

An immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) is used to monitor a person’s movements. It, however, cannot prevent people from leaving the country.

Only a precautionary hold departure order and a hold departure order — issued by courts — can do that.

Vida’s basis to issue the ILBO was the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against Dela Rosa for crimes against humanity. The acting DOJ chief confirmed that the Philippine government, through the Philippine Center on Transnational Crimes, had already received the said warrant.

Dela Rosa showed up at the Senate last Monday, May 11, after months of absence. But he escaped from the premises of the upper chamber in the early hours of Thursday, May 14.

“There are information available to us to determine where he is,” said Vida during Friday’s briefing.

The former Philippine National Police chief, who was the first to implement former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, is being ordered arrested after he was found allegedly criminally liable for crimes against humanity.

The ICC also said that Dela Rosa allegedly “enabled ‘DDS killings and to conceive and implement a style of police operations referred to as ‘Tokhang,’ in Davao City.” – Rappler.com